Marketing mishaps to avoid

Marketing can be difficult in any sector, so how do you promote your service to stand out from the rest? how do you make sure your customers have all the information they need? A clear and effective marketing campaign can make all the difference.

But it’s not always that simple. This guide will take you through the trickier areas of marketing and show you ways to avoid common mistakes.

Staying only online or offline

Both offline and online marketing paths can offer your company different facets of marketing. Being active on social media will help you to get your brand out there and build a rapport with customers. SUMO Heavy Industries — a digital strategy and design company — found that 72% of people use social media daily. On Facebook and Twitter, you can send instant replies to existing and potential customers, which could prove essential in order to secure a second or first-time booking, while these channels also give you the opportunity to send immediate updates on special offers or photos of new rooms and services you’re now offering.

Print marketing can also be a boost to your marketing, as it is still very influential. When marketing in this sector, the look of a place or guestroom can make or break your campaign, and with print, your audience can enjoy an attractive image that sells your brand and doesn’t go away by scrolling down. A university study discovered that, when comparing the efficiency of online and print adverts, the print format proved to have the most ‘advertising effectiveness’. This study took into account how much a person spent looking at the ad, how much information they took from it and how likely they were to buy (or book). Still not convinced? According to a survey of 2,400 consumers, 82% of people trust print ads, while only 25% said the same for online pop-ups — so perhaps it’s worth balancing out your marketing strategy if you’re currently focusing on digital platforms.

Low-quality images

Nothing leaves an impact quite like effective images. How many times have you seen a brochure or email ad for a hotel or B&B that didn’t include at least one or two attractive photos?

Customers will expect to receive what they see in your advertising, and if the quality of image is poor, they will expect a similar result from your service. The term: ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ was apparently coined by Frederick R. Barnard and is something anyone marketing within the accommodation industry should bear in mind. Before booking, consumers want to be assured that the modern bathroom and spacious living space you claim your venue offers is true — so don’t ruin the illusion and turn consumers away by placing an image with a poor resolution on your brochure, leaflets and pull up banners. Or even worse, not providing a photo at all.

Missing out on brochure marketing

Brochure marketing and other print media still holds strong, despite the rise in digital marketing.

According to a survey of 1,560 hospitality professionals conducted by the Center for Marketing Technology (CMT), 98% of front desk staff would choose printed mediaand 94% of hotels deliver information to guests via a brochure display.

In fact, customers still enjoy and respond to print media. According to an experiment by TrueImpact, customers use less mental effort to process a printed ad as opposed to a digital one, and they are able to remember print more easily after seeing it than digital. Evidently, brochure and this industry go hand in hand — so don’t miss your opportunity to advertise your establishment by not investing in a brochure marketing campaign.

Not using promotional items

You can use promotional products as a way to encourage customers to remember your company.According to a survey, 80% of people can recall a brand after receiving a promotional product, while 58% of people keep a promotional product for one to over four years. If you want to encourage repeat custom, perhaps this marketing tactic is one you should adopt today.

Giving your customers branded items shows you are proud of, and care about, your company. L.J Market Research found that over 50% of people in a survey eventually became a customer of a brand after receiving a promotional product from them — can you afford to miss out on this opportunity? Consider ordering a batch of promotional items that you can hand out at trade shows or that people could use in public to enhance your marketing ROI.

Not addressing online reviews

It’s in your best interests to keep up-to-date with reviews posted about your company online.According to statistics, there are around 455 million unique visitors and a million hotels on TripAdvisor — that’s a huge pool of potential customers that can read a single bad review and be dissuaded from choosing your business.

So, how can you steer your online presence to a more positive vibe? A great way to keep negative opinions off global, independent review sites is to be savvy with your social media activity. If you have a disgruntled customer, it’s likely that they want a response to their issue and will initially choose your company’s Facebook or Twitter account to communicate with you directly. If you receive a complaint — either via a tweet, a tag or a message — respond to it as quickly as possible.

Social media and customer services expert, Jay Baers notes: “A lack of response is a response. It’s a response that says, ‘We don’t care about you very much’.”

The longer you leave a complaint unattended, the more time your unhappy customer has to become more annoyed and post a review on another site with a wider audience. Theoretically, that means not only will all your brand’s social media followers see the complaint, but also potential customers who may be browsing independent review sites for future accommodation options.

Adverts with boring language

Word choice can make or break an advertisement. So, don’t rush into writing a promotional leaflet or other type of ad without taking time to consider every word you’re using.

Your language should reflect the experience your customers expect and want to receive. That means you must use language that embodies and emphasises this level of excitement. Words like: ‘entertaining’, ‘delicious’, ‘wonderful’, ‘relaxing’, ‘luxurious’, and ‘beautiful’ to describe rooms and facilities are great options. Although you mustn’t pack your marketing material with too much text. Instead, peppering your content with favourable and engaging words can make the difference between enticing your potential customer and losing their interest.

Your business can thrive off a well-executed marketing strategy. Just make sure to avoid the pitfalls stated above in your next campaign.